


Not a princess

by 99MillionMiles



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Fluff, Jim and Seb aren't actually someone's parents, M/M, Parenthood, but yeah, sort of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-17
Updated: 2016-04-08
Packaged: 2018-05-27 07:39:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6275545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/99MillionMiles/pseuds/99MillionMiles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On his way home, Jim Moriarty meets a little girl. She's hungry, clever, and has just ran away from everyone.<br/>Jim doesn't know if he wants to keep her, but for the moment, maybe Sebastian can give him a hand.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Black eyes and curly hair

**Author's Note:**

> Hiiii~ I hope to make you smile with this _very_ silly story.  
>  This is unbeta'd, so if someone finds mistakes in my writing, please let me know! English isn't my first language.  
> Hope you enjoy.

It's been one _hell_ of a day.  
London is wet, dark and boring. The suit he's wearing is completely wet; Jim himself is soaked from head to toe, and even his hair is messy.  
His dark locks are dripping on his face, and Jim's swearing under his breath.  
His umbrella just _flew out of his hands_ some hours ago thanks to the wild stormy wind- Jim had already lost enough dignity to even desperately try to retrieve it.  
Unluckily, a wet London is also a _nowhere-to-be-found-taxis_ London.  
And James had to cross _lots_ of streets, all accurately hidden, to reach one of his apartments; he really doesn't need _any_ of his enemies to recognize his - **wet** \- face.  
Not for his security, of course not, that doesn't bother Jim in the slightest. He has a gun hidden in his pocket, for all that matters.  
The actual problem is that he _really_ doesn't look decent at all.  
James exhales a breath of relief as soon as he finally takes shelter under the shed of his building. He searches for his keys in his trousers' pockets. But he just can't _find_ them.  
He almost panics. Then he swears.  
And he's also _hungry_. He closes his eyes and tries to calm down.  
He has a chocolate bar in his pocket and he has a shed above his head. It could be worse, right?  
He glances to the inside of the building. Soon or later, the doorkeeper will be coming.  
In the meanwhile, James takes the chocolate bar out of his pocket. He can't say no to chocolate in between meetings.  
It's one of his main secrets. He always eats chocolate before setting things up to kill people.  
And he's just about to give it a bite when a hesitant, shy voice almost makes him jump in surprise.  
“Could I have some?”  
James turns towards the direction of the sound, as he meets the brown doe eyes of a girl who has to be seven or something like that. Her hair is soaked, covering almost half of her face and resting on her narrow shoulders.  
She's slightly trembling in her jacket -which doesn't look very warm- and she's staring at him, looking shy but not worried.  
Without even thinking, almost instinctively, James hands her the chocolate bar.  
The girl's eyes go wide, and her face lightens up with a big white smile.  
“Thank you!” she says happily. James wonders where the hell she's coming from.  
He just stares at her silently, while she's standing on her feet, next to him. Her hands are tiny and white, holding the chocolate bar.  
She looks healthy, apparently calm. But there's still something that James can't quite figure out.  
He frowns. She's alone.  
“Where...” he starts asking. The girl doesn't even look to him, still eating. “Where are your parents?”  
She looks at him. “Oh” she answers. “Don't know” she shrugs.  
James stays silent, trying to work that out. In the meanwhile, she gives him a smile.  
“That was delicious!” she says, sounding honest. She looks over at the step where James is sitting.  
“Can I sit with you?” she asks.  
James vaguely nods. Then he shakes his head.  
“You've got to come back to your parents” he orders.  
She just ignores him, sitting next to him. “Did you hear me? You can't stay with me” James repeats.  
The girl doesn't answer, and just puts her elbows on her knees. She puts her chin on her hands and stares at the tip of her shoes.  
James feels a new wave of anger invading his body. He's about to open his mouth when the doorkeeper finally arrives.  
James barely remembers him. He's seen him just a few times.  
“Thank God” James sighs, standing back on his feet. “Hurry up.”  
The doorkeeper probably considers to argue- and James really hopes he won't. He doesn't want to be asked about his identity or his apartment's number. A nameless face is always easier to forget.  
But the man lowers his gaze and sees the little girl still sitting on the step, who's staring up at him with her wide brown eyes. After a second of hesitation, he nods and opens the doorway.  
“I apologize, sir” he says. “I couldn't find any taxi, and I had to-”  
“Save your apologies for your boss” James interrupts him, walking in with his head held high, even if soaked and hungry. He reaches the elevator, only to find it broken.  
He doesn't want to put on a crazy show in front of a stranger, so he breathes deeply before taking it the old way.  
Step by step -and swearing under his breath a couple of times- he reaches his apartment. He turns the key into the lock and he finally walks into the apartment.  
He closes his eyes. Home, sweet home.  
And it's then that the door closes behind him.  
His eyes go wide and everything happens in less than a second.  
He grabs his gun. He should have expected this. The doorkeeper wasn't the idiot he looked like.  
He turns in a second, ready to shoot right between the eyes of the spy.  
But, right in front of _his_ eyes, there's nothing.  
James lowers his gaze.  
Still that damn girl.  
She's looking at him with wide eyes- she still holds her hand against the door she just closed.  
“Why do you have a gun?” she asks, surprised.  
James stays still, just watching her and ordering his heartbeat to slow down.  
“God” he exhales, holding back the anger. “Damn child...”  
He puts the gun somewhere, looking at her with angry eyes. “I told you to come back to your parents!” he screams. “I don't want you here!”  
Without noticing, his voice drastically raises its tone, and he must look terrifying. He knows how he looks, when he loses his patience. Which happens quite often.  
And this day...has been horrible. Meeting up with some Russian mobsters is never pleasurable, and it's even less so when rain is waiting for him as soon as he's done with them.  
The girl looks shocked up to him, before biting her bottom lip and lowering her head. James can't look at her in the face because of her wet hair covering her skin; he just waits for a reaction, calming down in the meanwhile.  
He wonders what's happening right now. The answer comes to his mind just when he hears a soft whine.  
“I'm sorry!” the girl cries out.  
And James hasn't felt guilty in years; but she covers her face with her tiny little hands and keeps sobbing, and something that vaguely reminds him of sadness just takes over him.  
He doesn't really know what he's doing here. He'd better find a way to get rid of this girl, before it's too late. If she gets to remember his face too well, he has to kill her.  
“Listen...” he mutters. “Tell me where you saw your parents last, okay? I'll get to take you there.”  
The girl sobs again. “I ran away” she admits. “It was suddenly raining, and everyone was so distracted. I let go of miss Dauchy's hand and I ran away!”  
James' eyes go wide.  
“But I managed to take one thing with me” she keeps saying, drying out her tears with a hand while she searches for something in her pocket with the other.  
She shows James what clearly is an engagement ring, expensive-looking.  
She sniffs. “I removed it from miss Dauchy's finger before running away.”  
She stares angrily down at the ring, pouting adorably. “She didn't let me have a piece of cake, yesterday evening.”  
James just blinks a few times, more and more surprised.  
Then, a mischievous grin grows on his lips. 

*

“Do I really have to keep you company?”  
The little girl is now playing with bubbles, splashing water all over the floor. James rolls his eyes. “Yes” she answers simply.  
“I have to go” James protests. She pouts.  
“No, you don't!”  
James chuckles. “Okay. Fine.”  
He just keeps staring at her, while she plays with every object she can find around her, on the edges of the bathtub. James guesses she's having fun.  
“Hey” he calls her. She gives him a curious look. “What's your name?”  
She hesitates. “Name's Leslie.”  
“Don't believe you” James sing-songs. “That took you too long.”  
She smiles amusedly. “Fine!” she laughs. “You're smart.”  
“You're smart, too. You just need to get a little better.”  
She stays silent for a while, still playing with the shampoo bottle.  
“Sammy” she finally answers.  
James chuckles. “Samantha.”  
She pouts. “Sammy!” she insists.  
“Okay, okay” he laughs slightly. “Calm down, princess.”  
“Not a princess” she protests. “I'm a queen.”  
With that, James bursts out in laughters. After a moment, Samantha laughs too.  
“Fine. Come out of there, it's dinner time.”  
She nods and lets James help her out of the bathtub, as he wraps her in a towel.  
She's so small. James can't help but think of his sister when they were very, very young.  
He decides to think about something else. He takes the hairdryer out of a drawer and waits as she sits down on a stool.  
As he dries her hair, she's silent most of the time. But occasionally, she says something silly.  
“This towel smells nice.”  
“I've never been in a bathroom bigger than this one!”  
“I wanted you to keep me company because there's a hole in the bathtub. I think I'm gonna get absorbed and disappear if none is there to save me.”  
By the time she speaks again, he has finished drying off her hair. It's curly, and he wasn't expecting it at all. It's weird.  
“What are we having for dinner?” she asks. He shrugs.  
“What about pizza?”  
Her eyes widen. James chuckles. “I'll take that as a yes.”  
He's already walking out of the bathroom, when she stops him.  
“Wait!” she yells, still sitting down and wrapped in the towel. He raises an eyebrow.  
“What am I going to wear?”

*

There's _no_ way James Moriarty is _ever_ going shopping for that.  
He just takes a shirt of his out of a drawer, cuts out its sleeves -they're way too long for Samantha's arms-, washes her Disney panties and tells her to hurry up. By the time she's dressed again, the doorbell rings and James goes open the door.  
Samantha walks out of the bathroom in her bare feet, but she looks okay with that. James puts the pizza boxes on the table, and she smiles happily as she eats.  
“Quite hungry, uh?” James says, watching her eat. She just nods.  
As they eat in silence, James tries to make up his mind. What the hell is he doing? He doesn't know this little girl- god, what if someone has sent her to spy him?  
And what he is going to do with her? He can't let her go without killing her. She'll remember his face.  
On the other hand...James likes her. She reminds him of his sister. And, most of all, she's clever.  
James could keep her. At least for some other days. Then he'll find her some new parents, or something like that.  
She stops eating and looks at him. He stares at her, curious.  
She just smiles and comes back to eating after a second.  
James can't help but smile in return.

*

That night, James lets Samantha sleep in his guest room. She asks him to leave a light open, and he puts a lamp next to the bed.  
“Can you sleep with me?” she asks quietly, as James is already walking out of the room. He stops, sighs and look at her.  
“No, Sam. I've got a lot of work to do” he answers, being honest. He was supposed to set up some things in the afternoon, but he's been to busy with taking care of her.  
She just nods, looking sad. But there's nothing James can do for her, so he starts walking out of the room again.  
“Can I have nutella for breakfast, tomorrow morning?”  
James stops once more and turns slowly towards her. He inhales deeply to calm himself. He's not a man of patience.  
“Yeah, Sam. Now sleep, ok?”. He really hopes there's nutella in the house.  
She smiles. “Good night” she says, finally making herself comfortable in the bed.  
James walks out of the room.

*

When Samantha walks into the kitchen, the morning after, James almost jumps in surprise.  
He had almost completely forgotten about her.  
She's rubbing one of her eyes with her fist as she yawns and sits at the table. She doesn't even look at him.  
“Good morning” she finally says, glancing up at him. She even smiles softly.  
“Morning” James answers back. He stares at her for a while, before he remembers his promise.  
He hopes she's forgotten about it as well. He simply keeps using his phone, checking his agenda.  
“'m hungry” Samantha finally says. James rolls his eyes.  
“Nutella is right there” he just answers, gesturing to the sideboard.  
Samantha hesitates, then goes quiet as she walks towards the direction.  
The room goes quiet too. James almost sighs in relief, but then Samantha puts the Nutella jar in front of him on the table.  
James just raises an eyebrow. “What?” he asks.  
“Nutella comes with bread” she says simply.  
James snorts. “Eat it with your hands” he shrugs. “I have to work now.”  
Her eyes widens. “With my hands?”  
James has had enough, really. “Yes. And be quiet. If you speak again I'll cut your tongue.”  
Samantha almost jumps in fear, and quietly takes the jar with her as she sits on the chair again. She opens the jar and, after a second of hesitation, sinks her fingers in.  
She lets out a silent giggle as she eats. James scowls at her and Samantha lowers her gaze and goes completely quiet again.  
A few minutes later, James glances at her above his smartphone. There's nutella on her arms, nose, mouth and cheeks- even her hair is dirty with it.  
James huffs a laugh as he sets a meeting with a new client.

It's just later that afternoon that James actually realizes that he can't let Samantha in the house as he's meeting clients. Someone must keep an eye on her until he's done.  
But he can't leave her with some babysitter, either. He can't risk to be recognized as a consulting criminal by a stranger.  
The meeting of that day doesn't look dangerous -his new client is just an old woman, completely harmless, looking for a revenge for her murdered son-, but still. He doesn't even need protection for this one, but...  
His eyes suddenly widen in realization.  
_Sebastian!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love OOC!Jim and I really have no excuses


	2. Chopsticks and knife games

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basically, Sebastian notices weird things.

James raises an eyebrow- no, _both_ eyebrows- as he _examines_ the jeans and t-shirts that Sebastian bought for Samantha.  
Sebastian doesn't know if he should pay more attention to James' disgusted face or to the young girl sitting on the carpet.  
She must be seven or something, and she doesn't look very happy with his choice of clothes. Sebastian just hopes that James won't kill him.  
“Is this _really_ what you bought? Or is this some kind of joke?”  
Sebastian clears his throat. “Sorry, Jim” he just says. “I'm not a fan of...this.”  
He gestures to all the t-shirts and jeans he's bought, and James sighs.  
“Okay. Okay, fine” he just shrugs after a while, looking at Sebastian. “It's not like it's _me_ who has to wear that stuff.”  
He looks at Samantha. “You okay with that?” he asks.  
She stands on her feet and walks towards the coffee table, where all the clothes are lying. She touches them, stares at them for a few seconds, then nods.  
“I like them” she announces.  
Sebastian can't help but sigh in relief. He doesn't know who the hell this little girl is- maybe James want to get rid of him and live with her instead.  
With Jim Moriarty, you never know.  
“Who is she?” he finally dares to ask. The little girl looks up at him, staring at him with her wide black eyes.  
“Just a little girl I met yesterday evening” James answers, and she pouts.  
“I'm not _just a little girl_ ” she protests. Sebastian chuckles.  
“What's your name, then?” he asks.  
She smiles as she answers proudly. “I'm Sammy.”  
“Samantha” James points out.  
“Sammy!” she repeats, stubborn. Samantha and James hold each other's gazes for a few moments, and that's just so unexpected- Sebastian doesn't really trust his own eyes right now.  
“Is she your daughter?” he asks out of the blue, before he even realizes that is mouth is suddenly open.  
James almost jumps in surprise. “What the hell?” he coughs. “What the hell, Seb” he repeats, “are you even serious?”  
“Sorry” Sebastian says again. “I just thought...never mind.”  
James stares at him for a while, just as he's already thinking of every possible way to make him pay for his words. Sebastian is not actually afraid. Not since James almost killed him in attempt to show him just how much he loves him- without using fucking words, obviously, because that's _so ordinary and boring_.  
Yeah. James actually tried to cut him open with a blade, and Sebastian is still not so sure of _why_. (But he knows that James was just trying to be romantic.)  
After that, Sebastian thinks he has pretty much seen the worst scenario already.  
But. Right now all he sees is just this young girl, _Samantha_ , who isn't afraid to look at Jim straight in the eye and who James, for some reasons, is actually interested in keeping.  
Sebastian decides that he likes her. He still doesn't know why, but she reminds him of James himself.  
“I'm meeting clients this evening, Seb” James says, “you've got to stay with Samantha until I'm back.”  
“What?” Sebastian replies, almost shocked. “I'm not a babysitter, I'm a _sniper_ -”  
“Hush, dear” James smiles, and Sebastian already knows that he's fucked. “Just keep an eye on her for a few hours, will you?”  
Sebastian sighs. “Fine, boss.”  
With just that, James wears his tie and walks out of the house.

*

If Samantha wasn't just a little girl, this would be awkward.  
Well...it _is_ awkward anyway, but hopefully, she will forget the weird man who's just staring at her while she stares at him back.  
Sebastian clears his throat. Samantha doesn't say a word.  
“Sam-”  
“Who are you?” she interrupts him- just when he finally dared to speak.  
“I'm, well...” Sebastian doesn't really know what to answer. “I'm a friend of James” he finally says. “Kind of.”  
“Like Jude's new parents?” she asks, moving her head to the side in wonder.  
“What?”  
“Two men walked in, yesterday morning. Said their names were Nate and Cole and-”  
“Jesus” Sebastian gulps. “Just- don't think about that too much, uh? Do you want to- do something?”  
Again, Samantha just stares at him. Sebastian sighs.  
“What about telly?” he suggests. She smiles.  
“Thank god” Sebastian mutters under his breath, as he takes the remote from the coffee table.  
He sits on the couch and watch crap telly with her. He doesn't really pay any attention to what they're watching, but Samantha seems to enjoy it.  
It's some cartoon Sebastian has clearly never heard of before; neither has Samantha, as it looks like, since she suddenly looks at him with a worried expression on her face.  
“Why did they do that?” she asks, eyes widening.  
Sebastian raises an eyebrow. “What?”  
“They killed him!”  
Sebastian gazes at the telly, uninterested. He has no idea.  
“He did something very bad” he says absently.  
“But- he's a hero!” she protests.  
“Villains are cooler, Sam.”  
She tilts her head to the side, confused. “Really?”  
“Yeah, babe.”  
“And” she looks interested now, “are you a villain?”  
Sebastian chuckles. “Kind of.”  
“And...” she trails off. She bites her lower lip, trying to remember something she doesn't know.  
“Jesus” Sebastian sighs, “he didn't tell you what his name is, did he?”  
She just shakes her head.  
“Jim” Sebastian says. “Name's Jim.”  
“Jim” she repeats. “Is Jim a villain too?”  
“I guess he really is.”  
“Does that make me a villain too?” she asks.  
“What?”  
“Living with you two. Does that make me a villain too?”  
_Living_...Sebastian can actually _see_ James saying, _making a lot of assumptions here._.  
So he doesn't answer. Instead, he pats her on the head.  
“Are you hungry?” he asks. “There are a lot of chocolate bars here, if you're interested.”  
She nods and he walks in the kitchen, slightly laughing to himself. James is completely unaware of the fact that Sebastian knows about his little secret.  
He wonders how is the meeting going. He takes his phone from his pocket and sends him a message, asking him if he's okay.  
Sebastian is always present, when Jim's meeting clients. Sebastian is his bodyguard, after all, and his job is to _guard his body_. He's not _worried_ \- James has always known how to defend himself before hiring him, he definitely still does-, it's just...  
“And you?” Samantha suddenly yells from the living room, interrupting his toughs.  
“Me?” Sebastian yells back.  
“Your name!” she clarifies.  
“Seb.”  
“Sebby?”  
He sighs. “Seb. Sebastian.”  
She smiles amusedly, as he walks back into the living room. “Sebby!” she says happily.  
He just rolls his eyes. He's had enough of this shit with Jim- he knows that fighting back is completely useless.  
Just as he sits back on the couch, the door opens and both him and Samantha can hear the sound of approaching footsteps.  
James Moriarty walks in, looking exhausted. He lets himself fall on the couch too- Samantha moves away just a second before he almost falls on her.  
“You okay?” Sebastian asks him.  
“Damn old woman” James grunts, “all she did was crying. _All_ the time.”  
Sebastian is already going to cover Samantha's ears, but James is faster than him. “I killed her. And anyway, that job wasn't interesting at all.”  
“Just as I told you, Sam” Sebastian sighs, when she almost jumps in horror. “He's a villain.”  
James looks as he's just remembered about her presence. He smiles at her sweetly, pokes the tip of her lighlty and says, “an old fashioned one, dear. Don't be afraid.”  
Then he just takes his phone on his hands, ready to keep taking care of his business. “Turn off the telly” he orders, “it bothers me when I'm working.”  
“But-” Samantha tries to protest. James rolls his eyes and cut her off.  
“Sebby, please, take her out.”  
There are moments when Sebastian would _love_ to just strangle James with his bare hands, but he definitely knows better than to protest. He just stands back on his feet, gesturing to Samantha to follow him.  
“Come on, Sam. Let's have a walk.”  
She nods weakly, giving a longing look to the television. Sebastian really _does_ feel her.  
“Chinese for dinner?” James suggests, as Samantha is wearing her shoes.  
“Fine.”  
They walk out of the apartment, and Samantha's mood changes fast. She's suddenly happy again, as she talks to Sebastian and Sebastian just nods absently.  
“Is Chinese good?”  
“Yeah.”  
“I've never eaten Chinese food before.”  
“Yeah, well, tonight you will.”  
“What if I don't like it.”  
“You will.”  
“Are you sure?”  
“Yeah.”  
“Why?”  
“Because...” he holds back a yawn, “everyone likes Chinese, all right?”  
“What does Chinese food look like?”  
“Look, there are children over there” Sebastian says, without answering her. “Why don't you go play with them?”  
She nods and runs toward them. Sebastian lets out a quiet sigh of relief, sitting on a bench.  
He doesn't like to play the fucking babysitter. If James has decided to keep this girl, he should take care of her as well.

_Sam is playing with some children. Should I drop her here? She won't even notice me walking away. -SB_

**Don't be silly. I like her. -JM**

**And don't bother me, dear. I'm working. -JM.**

Sebastian sighs and puts his phone back in its pocket. 

*

That night, they eat Chinese together. And, seeing how happy Samantha looks with that, Sebastian feels slightly guilty.  
She's sweet and curious. She has a lot of annoying questions about _everything_ , but she keeps making Jim laugh with her silly acting and, really, Sebastian could easily get used to this.  
She doesn't know how to use chopsticks, and when James notices her struggling to eat, he just shrugs. “Eat with your hands” he says around a mouthful of fried rice. Given the way they both burst in laughters, Sebastian guess this has already happen.  
There's... _something weird_ , about this. Sebastian can't really get to understand why James likes to have her around, but he _does_. They look like they've always known each other, and that's...unexpected.  
James has made him _kill_ children before.  
Samantha's laughter cuts his toughs off. She's watching James playing with a knife, as he does the knife game. Sebastian has never seen him doing that show, and he stares carefully at his movements to make sure he doesn't inadvertently cut off his fingers.  
Samantha asks if she can do that too. James nods fervently, completely taken by the game, but Sebastian takes the knife out of her grip.  
“Dammit, James” he scolds him. “She's just a baby. You can't let her use a knife.”  
She pouts and takes another bite of her chicken. When Sebastian looks up at James, he finds him smiling amusedly.

*

Some hours after, Samantha is sleeping peacefully on the couch, and James...well, he's sleeping peacefully on the couch too. Sebastian is just walking back into the living room, since he had gone up to the rooftop to enjoy a little moment of relax- and a secret cigarette-, and he sighs.  
“Jim” he says quietly, trying to wake him up. “James...boss. Boss, wake up.”  
James doesn't even move. “Criminal mastermind?” Sebastian tries again. “Come on...”  
Apparently, having a little fun weakens Jim more than killing. Sebastian just rolls his eyes.  
James finally opens his eyes, muttering some threats if Sebastian doesn't leave him alone. But Sebastian knows better; even if James would really deserve to, he's fallen asleep on that couch before. And he still aches at the though.  
James gets up after some long minutes, giving him a threatening look. Then he gazes to Samantha, who is still deeply asleep.  
“Be a dear and-”  
“Yeah, yeah” Sebastian just sighs, bending down to take her into his arms. James shows him the way, walking before him towards one of the guest rooms.  
“Drop her on the bed” he says sleepily.  
“I can't just _drop_ her. She'll freeze.”  
James doesn't look awake at all, but he needs at least one hand to take the blankets from the closet. So he drops Samantha into his arms instead, but doesn't let her go until he's sure that James is _actually_ holding her.  
They're walking out of the room just a few minutes after, as she snores softly. Sebastian hears James letting out a quiet chuckle.  
And that night, James doesn't protest when he lays next to him into his bed, wrapping an arm around his waist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aren't ordinary people _adorable_?


	3. The missing mug

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam breaks a mug and stuff happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter! I've been sick the whole week, and now I've got a lot to study. Hope you like it anyway!

Sebastian wakes up to the sound of something being shattered.  
He immediately opens his eyes, and gazes to his right. James is still sleeping, not even making a single move.  
But there must be someone else in the house- Sebastian's eyes aren't the only thing he's proud of. He knows he also has good ears.  
So he silently stands on his feet, taking one of his hidden guns from underneath his pillow, and inhales deeply as he walks towards the direction of the sound.  
He walks quickly, not making a sound. And then, just as he steps into the kitchen, he remembers of Samantha.  
His shoulders drop, his body relaxes. She has just shattered a damn mug, and there's milk and pieces of white ceramic splattered all over the floor.  
She hasn't noticed him yet, and she bites her lower lip as she looks worriedly at the mess she's done. She reaches for one of the pieces of the mug, but Sebastian is faster; he takes hold of her tiny wrist, and she yells in surprise as he takes her into his arms and onto his shoulder.  
“Sam!” he says, trying to calm her down. “It's just me!”  
He literally drops her on the table and puts a hand over her mouth. “Hush” he orders, as he looks at the hallway. He prays that Jim doesn't wake up.  
“Listen” he whispers, “James is going to _skin_ you, if he finds out about this.”  
He gives a horrified look to the kitchen carpet. “He _loves_ his damn furniture and would _kill_ for his mugs.”  
Well, to be honest, James would probably kill just for fun. And...he does, actually.  
Samantha's eyes widen, then get wet with tears. Sebastian curses under his breath.  
“No- please baby, don't cry. We're gonna clean up this mess, right? Just- don't make a sound.”  
She nods and he lets go of his grip. He sighs as he walks back in the kitchen.  
She will probably cut herself, if he lets her collect all the shattered pieces of ceramic on the floor. But she probably doesn't know how to use detergents and stuff either, so...  
He sighs again. Now he's also playing the fucking cleaning lady.  
“Sam, get back to sleep” he mutters quietly. “I'll clean this up.”  
She just nods, but she looks so guilty that Sebastian can't help but smile. “Don't worry, babe. That's not a big deal. Got it?”  
“Yeah” she says. She gives him a half smile and runs back into her room.  
Sebastian just sighs once again, rolling his sleeves.

*

Even if Sebastian doesn't leave any evidence of the mess, James still finds out about it. He just says that the kitchen is smelling funny; he opens the cupboard, stares at it for a while, and then gives a threatening look to Sebastian.  
“There's one mug missing” he hisses, not fully awake yet.  
Sebastian gulps and gazes at Samantha, who hides under the table. Wrong move- James looks immediately at her.  
“Did you break it, Sam?” he asks, voice sounding terribly calm and menacing. “Don't be such a coward or I'll tear you into tiny pieces, just as you did with my mug, and-”  
She stands on her feet, walking out of her hideout. She's already sobbing as she hobbles towards Jim.  
Wait- _hobbles_?  
“I'm so sorry!” she apologizes. She opens her mouth to say something else, but Sebastian puts an arm over her to stop Jim from actually...well, probably strangle her.  
“James” he says, ignoring the way his boss looks at him -like he would love to murder him- “she's bleeding.”  
“She surely _will_ be bleeding in a few seconds, Seba-”  
“Poor baby” Sebastian sighs, as he lifts her up in his arms to sit her on the edge of the table again. “All this time, Sam! Why didn't you tell me sooner?”  
The piece of ceramic isn't even visible anymore, but she's still bleeding. She sobs as Sebastian lifts her foot, examining the little wound.  
“Didn't want to bother you” she whines.  
“Aren't you two adorable” James rolls his eyes, “such a happy little family.”  
He crosses his arms over his chest. “Has you wife just dumped you, Sebby? Has she ran away with another man? Left you with this whiny little girl who probably misses her fucking mother-”  
Samantha sobs louder, hiding her face in her tiny hands. “Stop it!” she whimpers, breathless.  
James isn't even listening to her, but his phone suddenly rings and he grimaces at it, as he walks out of the kitchen to answer it. Sebastian just stares at him for a while, not surprised, just...  
Yesterday night, he looked so _different_. What a stupid he was, thinking that...  
He sighs and puts a comforting hand on Samantha's knee. “Stop crying, Sam. That's just what it is. James didn't really mean what he said.”  
He tries to soothe her, but she just won't stop crying. And he sighs at the realization that he's suddenly become someone's fucking _daddy_ \- James clearly is the evil mum.  
He giggles to himself and she gives him a confused look.  
“What?” she asks.  
“Nothing, rookie” he says playfully. “You've still got to get used to this.”  
She smiles back at him, even though tears are still rolling down her cheeks. Sebastian wipes them away and she chuckles as he says something silly.

*

“And here we are” Sebastian sighs, as he helps Samantha to get out of his car. “This is one of Jim's favourite shops.”  
Samantha nods. “Are we gonna find the missing mug here?” she asks.  
“Yeah, baby. We are.”  
As he walks towards the shop, Samantha suddenly takes his hand. Sebastian stops walking, surprised.  
He looks down to their hands, to Samantha's eyes, who looks confused. She doesn't understand, she...  
Sebastian almost tells her not to do that ever again, to stop holding his hand because that makes him uncomfortable, because he's not used to kids. He would have never pictured himself like this, hand in hand with a little girl, as they walk together into a shop, to fucking buy James a stupid mug.  
Something aches in Sebastian's chest. Memories of his own childhood, when he and his father made troubles and his mother scolded them both, ordering them to find solutions to the problems they made.  
“Why have we stopped walking?” Samantha asks, tilting her head in confusion.  
Sebastian doesn't answer. Samantha waits for a few seconds more, then smiles.  
“Don't be sad” she offers, even letting out a soft laughter. “Jim is going to forgive us, isn't he?”  
It's like something big and heavy has just disappeared. Sebastian huffs a chuckle, then nods.  
“Yeah. Come on, let's buy that damn mug.”

*

When they come back home, James is working at his laptop.  
He doesn't even turn towards them, probably still pissed off. He completely ignores Samantha, when she approaches him shyly.  
“I'm working, Sam” he just says, just as Samantha was opening her mouth.  
She bites her lower lip, and gives an insecure look to Sebastian. He just mutters a little encouragement and offers her a smile.  
“I'm sorry for breaking the mug” she murmurs. “But...”  
She puts a little, elegant package on the table, next to Jim's laptop. “Please, open it.”  
James sighs, rolls his eyes, then takes the package and puts it over his legs. “Careful” Sebastian grins, from across the room. James gazes to him and lifts one of his eyebrow.  
He opens the package. He looks at the new mug, which looks identical to the broken one.  
He examines it, making sure it's all right. Sebastian and Samantha both hold their breaths.  
“Thank you” James finally says, and goes back to his work, as if nothing important happened. Samantha pouts.  
“Don't you like it?” she asks, looking disappointed.  
“I do.”  
“Why don't you say anything?”  
“I said, thank you. It's more than enough.”  
“But-”  
“Working, dear. Leave me alone, will you?”  
Samantha lowers her head and walks back towards Sebastian, who just shrugs as she looks at him with a sad expression on her face. They're just walking out of the room when James calls him.  
“Sebby, could you make me some tea?” he asks, not even looking at him. “In _this_ mug, please.”  
Sebastian can't help but smile, as he hears Jim's hidden words of gratitude. He appreciated their gesture; he's just not going to say it aloud. “Of course” he answers quietly, taking the mug from his hand.  
He's quite sure to see Jim smile as he walks into the kitchen.  
When he comes back to him, James has closed his laptop and is now playing Temple run 2 on his iPhone. Sebastian just rolls his eyes and hands him the mug.  
Since Jim is very quiet, and actually thanks him, he dares to place a soft kiss on his shoulder.  
“You know” Sebastian says, lowering his voice to make sure that only James can hear him. “Sam is really sad. She thinks you didn't appreciate her gift.”  
“It's not _her_ gift, Seb. It was your idea.”  
“Well, yeah. But she was so happy! She really cares about you.”  
“Is that supposed to be good?”  
Sebastian kisses him again, this time on the back of his neck. It's one of Jim's sensitive spots- he can't help but shiver. “Yes.”  
“So, what?” James asks, sipping his tea.  
“You should make her feel loved.”  
James chuckles. “Now you're just being ridiculous.”  
“I'm serious. She's a good child, Jim. You should spend more time with her. You'd be surprised.”  
James sighs. “I don't have time to fucking babies, Sebastian.”  
“I'm just saying. Give her a chance.”  
James doesn't answer.  
“Are you still angry for the mug?” Sebastian asks.  
“Nope. No reason to” James shrugs. “I'm using a new one right now.”  
“That's great.”  
“You have to kill someone for me, dear” James says, and suddenly, things are serious again. “I'll send you the details with a message. He's a man in his mid thirties. Got a family. If you could kill his wife and children and then him, it would be lovely.”  
Sebastian is used to this, but he still feels the sudden urge to get up and put some distance between his body and Jim's. “Fine, boss. When?”  
“Tomorrow morning.”  
James doesn't let him stand up. He grabs his shoulders and keeps him there, placing a kiss on his lips.  
“I'll look after Sam” he announces.  
Sebastian grins against his mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry, but Jim is _sooooo_ changeable!


End file.
